Cole Hocker made history at the 2024 Paris Olympics by clinching the gold in the men’s 1500-meter race. He set an Olympic record with a time of 3:27.65, surpassing the previous record held by Jakob Ingebrigtsen. Hocker, born on June 6, 2001, in Indianapolis, Indiana, began his competitive running journey at a young age.
Hocker recorded a superb mile time of 4:36 as an eighth grader. Hocker attended Cathedral High School, where he won multiple state and national titles, including the Foot Locker Cross Country Championships in 2018.
Hocker attended the University of Oregon from 2019 to 2021. During his time at Oregon, he won four NCAA titles, including the mile and 3000 meters at the 2021 NCAA Division I Indoor Track and Field Championships. In September 2021, he decided to turn professional, signing with Nike and forgoing his remaining collegiate eligibility
Hocker landed a sixth-place finish, as a relative youngster for a middle distance runner, in the 1500 meters at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
At the 2024 Paris Olympics, Hocker’s victory in the 1500 meters was not only remarkable because of the Olympic record he set but also for the dramatic fashion in which he overtook the favorites, including world champion Josh Kerr and former Olympic champion Jakob Ingebrigtsen. Hocker’s gold medal win marks him as the fourth American to achieve this feat in the 1500 meters at the Olympics.
Gold Medals
1. **Mel Sheppard** – 1908
2. **Taeffik Makhloufi** – 2012
3. **Matthew Centrowitz** – 2016
4. **Cole Hocker** – 2024
Silver Medals
1. **Abel Kiviat** – 1912
2. **Jim Ryun** – 1968
3. **Leonel Manzano** – 2012
Bronze Medals
1. **John Bray** – 1900
2. **Norman Taber** – 1912
3. **Lacey Hearn** – 1904
4. **William Verner** – 1904
5. **Yared Nuguse** – 2024
